This invention relates generally to securing heat sinks over electronic devices to be cooled on printed circuit boards.
Printed circuit boards, such as motherboards, may include a number of electronic components. These electric components may produce heat which needs to be dissipated through a heat sink.
Generally, the printed circuit board is attached to a chassis with the electronic components already in place on the printed circuit board. Then the heat sink is attached over the component to be cooled. Conventionally, four bolts are used at each of the corners of the heat sink base to secure the heat sink onto the printed circuit board.
There may be a number of issues with this approach. For example, tightening the bolts may be a time consuming process. Accessing the bolts past the heat sink fins may be awkward and difficult. The protruding bolts may tend to interfere with the flow of cooling fluid across the heat sink. Other issues may also exist.
Thus, there is a need for better ways to secure heat sinks over components to be cooled on printed circuit boards.